Gamecocks right the ship against SEMO

The Chanticleer

1 year ago

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Jacksonville State took down SEMO 55-48 with help from freshman Taylor Hawks’ 13 points (Matt Reynolds/JSU)

Grant Benefield , Chanticleer Sports Reporter

After dropping their two previous OVC matches against Eastern Kentucky and UT Martin, the Jacksonville State women’s basketball team got back in the win column with a 55-48 victory over Southeast Missouri at home on Saturday.

Their thirteenth win of the season is an important milestone for the Gamecocks (13-8, 7-3 OVC), as it matches their previous season’s win total (13-15). The team still has eight remaining regular season games to further improve on last year’s performance.

With the win, the Gamecocks remain tied with Morehead State for the third place spot in Ohio Valley Conference standings. SIUE holds second place at 8-2, and Belmont sits atop the crowd at a perfect 10-0.

As for Saturday’s match with the Redhawks, the Gamecocks were boosted by a strong performance from freshman guard Taylor Hawks. The Gainesville, GA, native collected 13 points and shot 4-for-9 from the field, including a 3-point basket and a 4-for-4 mark from the charity line.

The Redhawks struggled offensively, tallying a 27% field goal percentage.

Despite leading most of the match, the Gamecocks could never build a comfortable lead against SEMO, with their largest lead standing at just nine. Two late 3-point baskets from Gamecock guard Gretchen Patterson would be enough the put away the Redhawks down the stretch.

Senior forward Tyler Phelion had a terrific performance off the bench for the home team, contributing eight points on 3-for-8 shooting and a pair of rebounds and blocks.

Patterson and Kiana Johnson both added seven points, with Patterson knocking down two shots from outside the arc and Johnson grabbing four boards.

Sophomore forward Chloe Long was the most active on the glass for the Gamecocks, grabbing eight rebounds and also collecting five points.

The Gamecocks now go into an important two-game conference road series, starting with a match on Thursday against Eastern Illinois and ending with Saturday’s match against second place Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.